Deep Feelings
by JoeMerl
Summary: Ma-Ti admires all the emotions that Gi has below the surface. Gi admires the way Ma-Ti can see and express his feelings so easily. Their affection isn't always obvious, but it's always there. Ten Ma-Ti/Gi one-shots and drabbles. Newest chapter: Beneath. COMPLETE.
1. Crush

**Author's Notes: **A collection of short Ma-Ti/Gi (Ma-Gi?) one-shots and drabbles, because while we have about a hundred Wheeler/Linka stories and a handful of Eco-villain fics, these two and Kwame are almost totally neglected. And I hate it whenever a single pairing dominates a fandom. We need variety!

These prompts are based on the LiveJournal 10_Fics Community, in case anyone cares. Also, if anyone can come up with a better name for this collection, feel free to tell me, because this was the best I could come up with.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Everybody thought it was just a childish crush.

Or at least Wheeler did when he found out. He seemed to think the whole idea was funny, and while Ma-Ti knew he was just having fun and joking around like usual, he couldn't help but be annoyed at the same time. After all, it wasn't exactly like Wheeler was having much success with _his_ feelings towards Linka; surely he of all people should be sympathetic to Ma-Ti's situation, right? And it did not help any that now he was making those jokes around Kwame and Linka too; they were nicer about it, they even scolded him for his jests, but they could never quite help chuckling along with him either.

At least they left Gi out of it. There was still a chance that _she_ didn't know how much Ma-Ti was besotted with her.

But it was more than a simple infatuation. _That _was what bothered him—just because he was younger than everyone else and his crush was a few years older than he was, everybody assumed that he was being "childish," that his feelings had to be less serious than, say, Wheeler and Linka's mutual attraction. Ma-Ti couldn't see how this was fair. Things were different back in the rain forest—in his home village a twelve-year-old boy was almost old enough to think about getting married, and a childhood "crush" was a reasonable factor parents took into account when deciding who to arrange it with.

Nor did Ma-Ti like the implication that he was just a simple kid. The others seemed to assume he liked Gi just because she was pretty—and it was true, he _did _think that she was very, _very_ pretty—but that was barely the tip of the iceberg. If there was one thing Ma-Ti prided himself on, it was his ability to understand others, instantly, instinctively, and when he saw Gi, he knew he was looking at somebody special. What astounded him the most was that nobody _else _could see it. She was smart and sensible, and seemed to have an intuitive grasp of any topic from marine biology to computer science to foreign languages (she was the one to teach Ma-Ti to read in English, in fact). But she was also deeply caring towards everyone, and somehow knew just how to connect with anybody she met. She brought the team together—Ma-Ti often felt shy or insecure, Wheeler could be overbearingly friendly, and Kwame and Linka were prone stoic silence that made them slow to connect with others. Gi, however, just had a natural balance with everyone—she somehow knew _just_ how to bring people together, and how to show you that she cared. There were times when Ma-Ti wondered why _she_ didn't get the Heart Ring.

But Gi wasn't just kind—she was also _fierce,_ and that was another thing that awed Ma-Ti about her. She was nice and soft and gentle when she wanted to be, but she had a sort of quiet moral power about her, and when you went against her—threatened her friends, threatened the Earth, harmed another creature she cared about—then she would do anything, _anything,_ to defend what she knew was right. She would never abide evil, but she also knew, just like Ma-Ti, that there was good in people too. She couldn't always see it easily like Ma-Ti could, but she searched it out, she had once bet her life to Zarm to prove it, and that just made her own good stand out even clearer for Ma-Ti.

So yes, maybe Ma-Ti was young. And maybe some people thought it was silly, because they couldn't see it. But Ma-Ti knew Gi, and Gi was incredible.

And that's what made this _more _than just a simple crush.

It was the beginning of love.


	2. Heart

**Author's Notes:** I had a bit of a problem with this prompt, because in a romance story involving Ma-Ti "Heart" can be interpreted in about a hundred different ways. And yet somehow I wound up with this story, with its only vague connection unless you read between the lines. Ah well. I suppose my brain was just eager to get a "'Teers in the Hood"-based chapter out**—**corny as it was, it has my favorite Gi moment**.  
**

* * *

Gi reached the top step and froze, staring in terror at the stone prison doors before her.

Ma-Ti stopped on the step behind her, frowning. "Gi? Are you alright?"

Gi was silent for a moment before looking down, shaking her head suddenly. "I can't**—**I don't think I can do this."

"Sure you can," Ma-Ti said, climbing the last step to stand beside her.

"No**—**no, I really can't," she said, and Ma-Ti frowned when he saw that her breathing was heavier than it should have been. "This was a bad idea."

She turned away suddenly and leaned down over the steep's stone landing, looking away. Ma-Ti's frown deepened as he moved beside her, resting his arms on the cool concrete and examining his friend's face.

"Are you sure, Gi?" he asked, and though this whole trip had been his idea his voice was gentle and kind. "We came all this way. But if you really don't feel like you can do this..."

"It's just..." Gi sighed, turning to her friend, whose face showed his usual patient curiosity. "Why do I have to see this guy?" she asked quietly, her head sinking down to rest on her arms. "I don't _want_ to see him. I _never _want to see him again."

"I know," Ma-Ti said, letting his head fall to rest on level with hers. "And I didn't mean that you should do this if you don't feel like you're ready. It's just that..."

"You think this will be good for me," she said dully, the words she had been repeating in her own head the entire flight here.

"Well, yes," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Gi sighed again. "Zap almost killed a friend of mine. _Two_ friends of mine," she amended, giving Ma-Ti a significant look.

"I know. Believe me, I remember," Ma-Ti said, forcing a wry smile and hoping it would lighten the mood a bit.

This, however, backfired. "Well, then how can you just expect to go in there and**—**_visit_ him?" Gi suddenly yelled, throwing up her hands and startling her friend. She began to pace across the prison landing, gesturing wildly. "This Zap guy**—**he shot Mr. Keane, he left you to die in a fire...what kind of a person _is _he?" she asked, and her voice cracked. "How can somebody just..."

She trailed off, head bowed, her hair falling over her face and hiding it from Ma-Ti's view. He didn't have to see her expression, though; instead he just walked over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"...This isn't just about what _Zap_ did, is it, Gi?"

Gi took a deep breath. "I tried to kill him," she said softly. "And I _really_ wanted to. If Wheeler hadn't stopped me..."

"But keep in mind, all Wheeler did to stop you was remind you who you really were," Ma-Ti pointed out. "That's not the kind of person you really are."

"It is when you make me mad enough," she murmured.

"But it's not the person you _chose _to be. Your heart's too good for that."

There was a long silence.

"I don't know if this will help anything," Gi whispered. "And I...I feel like I should apologize to him. But I know he won't apologize to me, or you. He was more willing to kill people than to own up to what _he _did."

"You never know."

"And I'm not sure I _can_ apologize to him. I know I should, but..." She trailed off.

It was another moment before Ma-Ti answered. "Well, maybe you're not ready yet," he said simply. "But if you know you should, I think you will eventually. You don't have to rush it. And I think the same goes the other way, about him apologizing for what he did."

Gi suddenly laughed, startling him again."What?" he asked, startled.

"Oh, Ma-Ti. You really _do_ see the good in everybody, don't you?"

He chuckled and smiled. "Well, it's not that hard."

"Well, it's one of the things I love about you. I don't think I even could have come _this_ far without your help."

Ma-Ti felt his face heat up. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So, do you want to go, try this another day?"

Gi nodded silently. Ma-Ti gave her his usual friendly smile, and the twisted knot in her stomach loosened a bit.

Without another word the two turned and walked back down the stone steps.


	3. Trace

"This is bad," Linka said. "He has been missing for almost an hour now!"

"It will be getting dark soon," Kwame added.

"Oh man—Ma-Ti! _MA-TI!_"

"_MA-TI!_"

As the other Planeteers' voices echoed through the forest Gi merely bit her lip, only lifting her eyes from the ground to search fearfully through the trees. Suchi was perched on her shoulders, an unfamiliar and oddly burdensome weight that by now she had nevertheless stopped noticing. He had been riding there ever since emerging from the forest alone to alert the others of his owner's disappearance.

"_Oh…_how did this even happen?" she moaned. "We only got separated for a second! What could have happened to him?"

"All sorts of things by now," Wheeler muttered, angrily kicking the nearest tree trunk.

"That is true," Linka murmured worriedly. "Especially if Gaia is right about Blight and Skumm using this forest for their research."

Gi moaned again. From what little information they had managed to gather from the nearby town, whatever those two were planning this time was even worse than their usual twisted schemes. She suddenly pictured Ma-Ti trapped in some sort of cell, forced to watch whatever horrible experiments they were up to…or _worse,_ him strapped down to a table, a _part_ of those experiments.

"He's in trouble, I just know it!" Gi said, closing her eyes tightly and feeling an oppressive weight growing in her chest.

"We don't know that, Gi."

"But then why doesn't he call us? ! He must have lost his Ring, or he's been knocked out, or— "

"He will be alright," Kwame interrupted, and though his voice was firm Gi could sense the fact that he was trying to reassure himself as well. "We will find him."

Gi looked down and sighed. She suddenly felt tired, like she could just collapse on the ground and fall into a deep sleep. Suchi, blinking at this, let out a sympathetic chitter and gently ran his paw over her cheek. Gi had the feeling the little monkey was the only member of the group quite as worried about Ma-Ti as she was, or at least the only one willing to admit it.

Without thinking she reached up and stroked him back, letting her hand slide down his rough, furry back. "Oh, Suchi," she murmured, "where could he have gone?"

Suchi merely moaned again, looking down sadly. Then Gi felt his toes tense up against her shoulder, and he began to cry wildly, pointing down off the path.

"Huh?"

"What is wrong with Suchi?"

Gi gasped. "_There!_"

She bent down, carefully moving aside a patch of poison ivy that half-obscured something red against the brown soil. "It's Ma-Ti's bandana!" she cried, holding it up for the others to see as Suchi began to cheer. "It must have fallen off his arm!"

"And look— I think those are his footprints!"

"And there are more, too. They look like they could belong to Skumm or some of his rats."

"We are on the right path!" Kwame said, and even his usual calmness couldn't quite mask the small smile playing on his lips. "Let us see where it leads!"

The Planeteers set off in the direction of the Rat Pack's footprints, Wheeler already muttering threats about what he would do to Blight and Skumm when they got to their lair. The others felt a renewed sense of hope, but even as she hurried after them Gi fell somewhat back, Suchi's weight heavy on her shoulder and the image of her friend strapped down in Blight's lab again playing in her mind.

"I hope you're alright, Ma-Ti," she whispered, her hand grasping his bandana tightly. "We're coming, don't worry."


	4. Steal

**Author's Notes:** A long-overdue chapter, and a rather meta one too. ;-)

* * *

"_Ugh!_"

Gi let out a mangled cry of rage as she threw open the door to the Planeteers' Parisian suite, throwing herself into the first chair she came to and grabbing her head in her hands. "I cannot _believe_ those two!"

Kwame followed her into the room, but seemed reluctant to actually come close to his enraged teammate. "You must calm down, Gi," he said carefully.

"It's not all _that_ bad," Ma-Ti agreed, though he seemed to be half-hiding behind Kwame as he said it.

"Well, it's just—_ugh!_" Gi let out another frustrated sigh, waving her arm dismissively. "_Every_ place we go, those two just keep—_stealing_ the limelight! We're supposed to be educating the public about the environment, not _posing for the paparazzi!_"

"To be fair, Linka wasn't doing _nearly _as much posing," Ma-Ti said, smiling nervously at his attempted joke.

Gi gave a low growl. Kwame just sighed. "I am tired," he muttered, rubbing one eye with his fist. "I think I am going to go take a nap for a few hours."

"Don't sleep in too late," Ma-Ti called as Kwame dragged himself slowly into one of the bedrooms. "Don't forget we have that dinner tonight with the Minister of Ecology."

Kwame waved vaguely as he closed the door behind him. Gi scoffed. "Why bother even going? Nobody will even notice us there with Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood in attendance."

"_Gi..._"

His friend simply slumped down in her chair, her face less enraged but still pouting sourly. Ma-Ti had to admit, though, she _did_ have a point—ever since that movie about the Planeteers had come out, Wheeler and Linka _had_ been getting a lot more attention than any of the others. Except that it wasn't really the kind of attention that the team had been _trying_ to get when they agreed to the production—the movie had had an environmental message like they wanted, but the director had apparently decided that the story needed a romantic subplot as well, and that "sub-" part had quickly been dropped until about half of the film was nothing more than Bambi Blight and Wheeler's actor staring into each other's eyes, kissing, and doing..._other_ things that in retrospect probably explained the film's PG-13 rating.

To everyone but Wheeler's chagrin, the movie had been a smash hit. And _then_ the gossip magazines had started following them around...

"We are _supposed_ to be here for the European Environmental Summit," Gi grumbled, breaking Ma-Ti out of his thoughts. "We called that stupid press conference so that we could get support for Prime Minister LeBlanc's air emissions law. Instead, all we got was a photographer from _Femmes_ asking Wheeler and Linka about their sex life! Which I'm pretty sure they don't have, outside of Wheeler's imagination," she added.

"Well...those interviews usually have _something_ about the environment in them."

"Oh, yeah, for like, one question! I'm sick of those two's love life hogging all the attention." Gi slumped in her seat; she looked more depressed than angry now. "We're supposed to be doing something _important,_" she said miserably. "I didn't agree to that stupid movie just so we could be shoved to the sidelines and let _those two_ become _movie stars!_"

Ma-Ti was silent for a moment. "Well...we could look at the bright side."

She scoffed again. "What's that?"

"_We're_ not in the limelight."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, lucky us."

"No, really. Think about it. Does Linka seem to be enjoying her new-found fame?"

Gi had to laugh a little. _Wheeler_ was certainly enjoying all this, but so far Linka was _far_ less enthusiastic—she spent a good portion of these events trying to convince people that the two of them _weren't_ an item, though that never got into the magazines without being twisted into some sort of "breakup" story. "No."

"And did she seem to enjoy when Wheeler pulled her along with him to meet that photographer from—um, whatever that magazine was called again?"

Gi was smiling now. "Not really, no."

"And does _she_ have an entire afternoon free in Paris today?"

Gi raised her eyebrows as Ma-Ti gave her an uncharacteristic, almost Wheeler-esque smirk. On the flight over she had regretfully mentioned that the group probably wouldn't have enough time to actually do anything fun on this trip...but with that press conference a bust, they had _hours_ to kill now before the dinner, and their hotel was only a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower and this beautiful park called the Champ de Mars...

"...Ma-Ti, would you like to go sightseeing with me?"

He grinned. "Sure!"

And despite her previous anger, Gi could only grin back.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm pretty sure they're in Paris because I'm still obsessed with the _Phineas and Ferb_ special that was on last week. Is anyone else familiar with that show, by the way? Because I have an intriguing crossover idea...;-)

Please review!


	5. Deep

**Author's Notes:** Wow, has it really been over a month since I updated? Sorry about that. Anyway, this is set during the episode "Scorched Earth," because this scene has both Gi and Ma-Ti in prominent positions so it seemed like it had potential if I just added to it a bit. Hope I did a good job with that, please feel free to review and critique.

* * *

_We are in deep, _deep _trouble,_ Ma-Ti thought, looking down at the water now rising above his knees.

"_Ugh,_ there's _gotta_ be some way to break out of these chains!" Wheeler growled, gritting his teeth as he struggled with all his strength.

"_Oh…_"

Up in a cage above them and out of their line of sight, Gi glanced down into the pit her friends were trapped in, her face growing pale as the water continued to rise higher and higher around them. Her eyes lingered longest on Ma-Ti, the shortest Planeteer; he was working in a panic to slip his thin wrists out of the manacles holding him, but every few seconds his eyes returned to the water, growing wider as more and more of his legs disappeared beneath its surface.

Once again she saw Zarm's face, his beady black eyes glinting cruelly.

"_Look how they do my bidding, eh?" he mused, as the Hydrian soldiers worked below to secure the other Planeteers into his death trap. "They follow me because deep down, humans _love _destruction."_

"_You're wrong!" Gi said fiercely, and the spirit could sense the anger bursting out of her. He smirked inwardly._

"_Well, if I am, you tell me where that Ring is. Otherwise you can watch the demise of your friends."_

_His tone had begun light, mocking, conversational, but turned to a low growl as those last words came out. The anger coming from Gi turned to fear, another emotion that Zarm _thrived_ in. He could feel it coming from the others, too, down in that hole, but from his position it was wafting off Gi like a marvelous, putrid perfume. He reveled in it._

_His pleasure was cut short when the little one spoke out. _

"_Do not tell him, Gi!"_

_Zarm felt a frission of fury towards the little brat, but quietly set his tone back to his usual nasty amusement._

"_How ironic that the first to slip under the water will be little _Ma-Ti,_" he growled, pointing, and then suddenly he was gone, his spirit hovering around the scene just long enough to feel the despair wash over Gi again as she fell to the floor of her cage. He laughed to himself**—**oh, she would tell Baz where her Ring was, he _knew_ she would, because when it came down to it she just cared about her teammates _too much_ to _possibly _let them die. That was the weakness of all of Gaia's servants: simultaneously bound to her two ridiculous codes, Love and Morality, they each had to pick _one_ in a situation like this, and he could tell Gi was the kind who would pick the former even if it let him get his way. _

_Especially when it came to Ma-Ti. He could tell she had some sort of special friendship with that one, or at least, a stronger unwillingness to let the poor child die as she helplessly watched. A pity, in a way. The boy had always been his most hated Planeteer, ever since the little mongrel had foiled his plan to get the others under his control._

_Ah well. He could always just refuse to release them even when Baz _did_ return with the Water Ring._

_If he even got back in time at all… _

"Oh, it is no use, I cannot slip out!" Linka moaned, letting her arms splash into the water.

"There has to be some way**—**"

Ma-Ti kept trying to force the manacles over his hand, heart pounding as the water level rose up to his chest. It wasn't working, it wasn't working**—**his hands were just too big, the manacles were too small, and the water just wouldn't stop rising. His mind raced, he pulled futilely against the chains**—**they were all going to die now, and he was going to go first, choking and sputtering in this hole without any way to get out, pathetic and helpless**—**

"_Oh!_"

He looked up, Gi's cry startling him out of his thoughts. He couldn't see her, but she was leaning as far out of her cage as she could, staring at them. She shook the bars, panting, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Guys! Hold on, please! Baz will come back to help us, I just know it! Just**—**"

She suddenly choked and collapsed against the bars, tears streaming down her face. It was useless, there was nothing they could do about it, nothing _she_ could do about it, they were all powerless, no Rings, no chance, no hope. Baz was going to give her Ring to Zarm, or even if he didn't, all her friends were going to die before he got here, and she couldn't do anything but watch, watch as they all died and she was stuck useless in this cage, and**—**

"Gi!"

Now Gi was the one who was startled, opening her teary eyes. "Ma-Ti?"

The water was up to his collar bone now; he had to crane his neck up towards Gi to keep his chin from breaking the surface. "Do not give up hope, Gi!" he called, even as he forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply to repress his own rising panic. "The General will be back any moment now!"

"But what if he doesn't get back in time? !" she cried, leaning out towards him again. "Or if**—**"

"You said you trust him, Gi. And I**—**" Ma-Ti choked for a moment as water splashed his face, forcing him to stand taller as the water reached his neck. "I trust your judgement!"

"Man, I sure you're right," Wheeler muttered, as the surface of the water rose higher up his shirt.

Gi let out a soft sob, but wiped her eyes, forcing down her panic. She acutely felt the insanity of the situation**—**here she was, the only one who was actually safe, and it was Ma-Ti who was calming her, using her fear to focus his mind away from his own unbearable terror even as the water rose higher and higher up his neck, catching his hair, he tried to stand up on his toes but he couldn't even keep his submerged feet firmly on the ground**—**

"Hold your breath, Ma-Ti!" Linka called.

He struggled with his chains, working to hold his panic back. "I'll try!"

Just then, there was a noise outside the pit, voices**—**Ma-Ti couldn't hear clearly, the water was in his ears, and before he could process the muffled sound it had enveloped his face, stinging his eyes**—**

And then all of a sudden it receded as a huge wave flew out of the hole, and very suddenly gravity and air had returned to the universe, dropping Ma-Ti back onto his feet and allowing him to gasp fresh air into his aching lungs. He panted, nearly collapsing into the waist-deep pool, and before his mind could focus he was splashed in the face by General Baz, who jumped down into their would-be grave and began unlocking the Planeteers's chains one by one.

Ma-Ti forced a wan smile as Baz undid his manacles. "Gi was right about you, General."

Gi was at the edge of the pit down, and as Ma-Ti looked up their eyes locked and the smiles on both their faces grew wider.

Of course Gi was right about him, Ma-Ti thought.

After all, you could always trust Gi when you were in too deep.


	6. Sorrow

Ma-Ti sobbed softly as Gi looked around the scorched forest, her ears straining for any sound of approaching trouble.

"Ma-Ti...we have to go now," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

He didn't answer, just kept whimpering, kneeling with his face on the ashy ground.

"Ma-Ti...please..."

She knelt down beside him, but he didn't look up, just curled up into a tighter ball, his whole body shaking with every sob. He really did look like a scared child now. He was tall for his age, and smarter than you would expect any fourteen-year-old raised in the jungle to be, so Gi was sometimes surprised to remember just how young her friend was. She could sympathize with him at the moment, now; after all they had witnessed she would honestly have loved to curl up next to him and just sob for the next day (or week, or month or year), but they didn't have _time _for that, they had to _go._

She slowly put her hand on his shoulder. He stopped trembling but didn't look up, nor did he feel the tears stop pouring from his eyes.

"Ma-Ti, please...we have to go now, okay? We can't stay here."

He finally looked up at her. His face was covered with dirt and ash, except for twin lines of water running like rivers down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them off, smearing the whole mess in the process.

"How could this happen?" he croaked. "Why...how could...?"

He covered his face and started sobbing again. Gi took a deep breath that was more like a gasp, her lungs didn't even seem to want to work right anymore (the burning dust in the air didn't help matters), shaking his shoulder again.

"Ma-Ti, please, you have to calm—"

"_Everything's gone!_" Ma-Ti suddenly screamed, his voice muffled by his hands. "Dead! The whole island—Wh-Wheeler, Linka, K-Kwame—the whole f-forest—"

He fell on his face again and Gi bit her lip, feeling tears well up in her own eyes. She blinked them back and looked up at the gray sky, her breathing quick and deep again—no Gi, _do not_ cry, you _cannot_ cry, Ma-Ti is already crying, you will _not_ cry when he needs you, he's just a little kid and you have to be strong right now, you are a Planeteer and you have to fix this, you _can't_ fix this but you _have _to and you cannot cannot _cannot_ start crying right now, not for the trees or the animals or your friends, your life, your home—

She looked back at Ma-Ti and put her hand back on his shoulder again. He didn't stop trembling this time—he just kept sobbing, his face buried in the ashes of everything that had been theirs since Gaia first called them more than two year ago.

Who had done this? She didn't know. How had they done it? She didn't know. Where was Gaia, why couldn't they call her anymore? No idea. What would they do now, alone now without the other Planeteers or Captain Planet to help them? No answer.

Gi began to tremble herself now, and she eased herself lower onto the ground, laying down beside her friend. She curled up closer to him, allowing her hand to stay on her shoulder.

They really needed to get off of Hope Island. Whoever—or _whatever _had done this could come back, they could be in danger, they had to find out what force had destroyed everything and how to make sure it didn't spread anywhere else.

But right now, Ma-Ti needed her.

She wouldn't let herself cry.

But she _would _stay here with Ma-Ti until he was done.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Well, with this prompt, it sort of had to be depressing, didn't it? And yeah, this show has quite a bit of opportunity for darkfics if you think about it.

Sorry this took so long, new chapter coming...whenever I think of something for it, I guess. Please review!


	7. Water

**Author's Notes:** Did anyone else ever get the feeling that Ma-Ti seems a little too smart for a kid raised by a shaman deep in the rain forest? If so, please enjoy this chapter of him acting unintentionally goofy even as he winds up being remarkably philosophical.

* * *

Ma-Ti had never seen the ocean before coming to Hope Island. Before that, he had only ever seen rivers or streams, and while the Amazon was impressive in its breadth and seemingly endless length, it just couldn't compare to the ocean's absolute _vastness,_ encircling the entire island in all directions. It was so huge, so blue, so sparklingly beautiful—he could have spent hours just gazing at it in amazement.

He was in for a surprise the first time he tried to taste it, however.

"_Pffft!_" Ma-Ti coughed violently, falling back onto the sand as water flew out of his mouth and dribbled down his chin. "What is wrong with this water? !"

"Uh, I think it's got _salt_ in it, buddy," Wheeler said, quirking an eyebrow and smirking at him in amusement.

_Salt?_ What in the world—but it was true, the whole ocean was salty and bitter, horrible to taste and actually _dangerous_ to try to drink. At first Ma-Ti thought that this was some sort of horrible mistake, the kind of environmental pollution that Gaia had summoned them to deal with, but no, it turned out that this was actually normal—most of the planet's water, in fact, was _supposed_ to be that way, caustic and unfit for human consumption.

"But I don't get it. I mean—rain isn't salty, and rivers aren't salty—where does the salt _come_ from?"

"Well Ma-Ti, it's just sort of always...there, in the oceans," Gi explained, sprinkling some more fish food into her large, saltwater aquarium. "Even when rain or river water mixes in with it, there's so much in there that it doesn't really make much of a difference. It's just two different kinds of water, that's all."

"But how does anything even _live _in it? I mean, humans die if they drink too much of it, right?"

"Yeah. But just like some animals live on land and some live in water, some water animals need fresh water and some need salt." She shrugged. "They're just adapted to different things, that's all."

Ma-Ti still thought it was weird, and he still didn't quite understand all the mechanics of it. It was definitely a strange twist—he had never had to worry about things like water cycles of desalination processes growing up with the Shaman in the jungle. Gi seemed to know what she was talking about, however, and when asked she could tell you just about anything related to oceans or marine life or anything like that. Aside from the weirdness of salt water, Gi also told Ma-Ti about things like hurricanes or typhoons, huge water storms that seemed quite bizarre to someone who had only ever experienced strong thunderstorms at worst. She was the Planeteer of Water, after all.

And over time, Ma-Ti came to realize just how fitting a job that was for her.

Gi could be very nice, especially to Ma-Ti. She could be gentle and motherly, asking calm questions to people and taking ginger care of the animals the Planeteers needed to rescue. She loved to help, she loved to nuture. She was like fresh water—a calm river flowing through the rain forest and giving water any person who needed it.

But then, at other times, Ma-Ti saw her fierce, angry, determined. Just like salt water, she could be caustic and sharp, as unpleasant to be around as seawater was to drink, yet still encouraging life when she used that side to take down Ecovillains or do what was right. At those times she was like one of those massive sea storms, unbelievably power and destructive to anything that stood up against her. But she wasn't _bad _then, really. Sometimes Wheeler or Linka would complain about her and her bad moods, but to Ma-Ti those shifts were just different, a different kind of Gi.

Providing. Sweet. Destructive. Bitter. The gentle familiarity of the stream flowing into the amazing grandeur of an ocean. Gi was just like water, both kinds of water, in fact.

And fortunately, unlike most creatures, Ma-Ti didn't need to pick one side or another to live with.

* * *

**A/N:** Weird and complicated metaphor is complicated and weird. Please review!


	8. Hug

"I'm gonna miss you, Ma-Ti," Gi whispered, wrapping her arms around her younger friend.

"I'll miss you, too," he said, his voice trembling slightly.

The two held each other a bit longer than they had with any of the others—around them Kwame was still saying goodbye to Gaia, while Wheeler and Linka showed no intention of breaking up their three-minutes-and-counting kiss anytime soon. The new fleet of Geocruisers were already loaded and waiting—five of them, each smaller than the original model, and each set to take them to different countries around the globe. But this time, their trips weren't just for quick missions or outings.

"I can't believe we're really leaving."

Gi nodded. "Me neither," she said softly. Indeed, the thought still made her mind reel a bit—she had lived here on Hope Island since she was, what, fourteen? But now that the Ecovillains weren't a problem anymore, they all needed to go off in different directions, find new and better ways to help the environment...she was excited, she really was, but she was also terrified. No more seeing her friends, her surrogate family, really, for who knew how long? Thinking about it that way was almost too scary to fathom.

"It won't be so long," Gi lied.

"Yeah. Sure." Even now that he was a tall, lanky teenager, the youngest Planeteer still had a hard time forcing back tears as he said goodbye to all of his friends.

Finally, the two parted, forcing smiles onto their faces as they gave each other one last goodbye. And then a few minutes later they were in the sky, flying away from each other in opposite directions.

* * *

E-mail was a godsend. Gi spent most of her time in the big capital cities of Asia, advising heads of states and CEOs on environmental issues, but all she needed was a charged laptop and she could keep in touch with her friends from Siberia to Thailand, from desalination plants in Israel to whaling boats off the coast of Japan. And the Geocruiser made it so much easier to get around to wherever she needed to go on missions—and sometimes, for an added bonus, to see her friends too.

She saw Linka most often—she spent most of her time in Russia, but she also took an interest in some of the democratic and environmental issues in China as well, so they had managed to meet a few times on joint missions or whenever they just happened to be within easy flying distance of each other. Wheeler was sort of an unofficial "environmental czar" to the U.S. president, but traveled around to a lot of other places, especially wherever Linka happened to be, so Gi saw a lot of him too. Kwame was focusing on the conflicts and famines on his home continent, though he often spent time in Europe or America negotiating with governments or companies that did business there—she had only seen him once or twice, on missions where they tried with limited success to stop the flow of arms into war-ravaged Sudan.

Gi had not, however, managed to see Ma-Ti at all.

It wasn't really surprising—they were too far apart geographically for easy visits, and they didn't even have a chance to go on missions together, since Brazil had little trade with Asian nations. And while Gi spent the bulk of her time in cities negotiating with the powers that be, Ma-Ti was mostly working on down-to-earth issues—deep in the rain forest helping people and animals, where he had little chance to charge a laptop or send a letter to any of his friends. Even his Ring was of limited use—he could contact Gaia if need be, but its connection to any of the other Planeteers was pretty weak from halfway across the world.

Still, Gi managed to get the occasional missive, as Ma-Ti was sure to try to contact his friends whenever he got a chance. Sometimes they came on e-mail, sometimes normal mail, and sometimes simply delivered by Wheeler, who got to see him a bit more than anybody else. And Gi was delighted every time she read one of his letters, and had a chance to hear his voice echoing in her head. The tone of his carefully-written words was tired but cheerful, which helped to pick up her mood whenever she was down. And it was refreshing, reading about how he was going into small Indian villages and just talking with the people, dealing directly with those in need—Gi was feeling more and more oppressed these days by the constant bureaucracy she had to deal with, and each time she heard from Ma-Ti she vowed to find more time to go out and imitate him, traveling somewhere where there was a drought or a flood that could use her first-hand help rather than more helpless pleas to distant governments.

But still, his letters made her sad, too. The more she read, the more she really missed him—really hearing his voice, seeing his bright eyes, talking with him face-to-face. She often found her mind drifting to that last day together, those last words, that last hug...

It was fifty weeks after they had left Hope Island that Wheeler suggested a reunion on the anniversary of their departure. Even with a fortnight's notice, it wasn't easy to arrange—Gi had to reschedule a meeting with the Indian Speaker of the House and a Tibetan human rights group, but managed to get a week off from any responsibilities and fly there on time.

Kwame wasn't there by the time she arrived, while Wheeler and Linka were already out of their planes, making out as Gaia looked on and rolled her eyes in amusement. And standing a bit off from the others was another familiar figure, now even taller and lankier than she remembered, looking up at her approaching plane and smiling softly to himself.

Gi grinned as she stepped out of the Geocruiser, and the two looked at each other silently for a moment. Then without a word they wrapped their arms around one another, smiling warmly.

"_Ah..._I missed you, Ma-Ti."

"I missed you too, Gi," he agreed, his voice trembling slightly once again.


	9. Sleep

"How is she doing, Gaia?"

The spirit "Hmm"ed vaguely, pressing her hand against Gi's forehead. "I'm not sure, Ma-Ti. Her fever is still very high, even worse than the others'. If the forest herbs don't break it soon, we will have to send her to the mainland for treatment."

"Is she that bad? Should we just do that now?"

"I would like to avoid it if possible. With the other Planeteers still sick you would have to take her alone, and as it is I'm not sure she's in any fit state to travel."

Gaia let her hand slide down Gi's face, stroking her cheek like a mother with her baby. Gi let out a low moan, face scrunching painfully in her sleep.

"Poor dear," Gaia whispered, standing up and looking sadly down at her student. She turned to Ma-Ti. "I should go check on the others. Will you stay with Gi?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you. I'll be back in a few moments; just call me with your Ring if there's trouble."

She glided out of the room. Ma-Ti slowly made his way to the chair by Gi's bed and sat down, leaning over to examine his sick friend. She looked awful, drenched in sweat and almost as pale as her pillowcase. Ma-Ti felt her head as Gaia had done, startled by how hot she was. She let out another moan, and Ma-Ti almost cried to hear how pained she sounded.

"Oh, Gi...I wish there was something I could do to help you," he whispered.

"_Uuuggghhh..._"

Like Gaia Ma-Ti let his hand slide down Gi's face, but he settled on her chin, lifting it slightly so that he could get a better look at her. It hurt him to see a face that was usually so happy, so intent, so—he might as well admit it—_pretty_ now so pale and clammy and twisted up in obvious agony. He wondered if she was having a nightmare right now. He wondered if he should try waking her up, talking to her, _something_ that could alleviate her suffering...

His gaze fell down from her pale face for a moment, settling on his own hand. Specifically, on one finger. He slowly raised it to his face, then glanced down at Gi again, before pointing that finger—or rather, its Ring—at her temple. He closed his eyes, imagining her expression when she was awake and smiling and lively.

**"_Heart._"**

He felt a sudden burst of warmth and light and laughter explode in the center of his chest, then flow through his arm and finger and into the body of his sleeping companion. Almost instantly Gi's face muscles loosened, an expression of calmness replacing her pain. The moans went quiet, and her breathing seemed to grow slower, steadier. Ma-Ti even thought her skin was regaining some color, which only made his reservoir of happiness grow and supply more fuel to pour into Gi.

Gaia glided over to the doorway, sensing the Heart Ring even when Ma-Ti had no intention to summon her with it. He saw her youngest Planeteer from behind, bent over his companion's bed, and could sense the river of warmth and light and laughter flowing from one heart to another. She quirked her eyebrows, smiling, then glided away again. For the moment, Gi was probably getting treatment better than anything else that she could provide.


	10. Beneath

On average, it took about one minute for someone to realize that Wheeler and Linka liked each other. The formula was set: Wheeler flirted shamelessly, Linka shot him down, and then they would bicker and spend the rest of the day complaining and obsessing about the other to anyone they could wrestle into listening. They tried to hide it from each other, but they certainly weren't fooling anyone else. They wore their hearts on their sleeves; their mutual infatuation was obvious.

Ma-Ti and Gi weren't like that. Their relationship was beneath the surface—it took a long time for their teammates to even notice the signs that Ma-Ti had a crush on her, and even longer before they realized that Gi might actually reciprocate those feelings. Tabloids desperate for more superhero news would sometimes speculate about her and Kwame having a secret relationship, but it took months after their hook-up before they caught the real couple on a date together. (At which point they started speculating about Kwame having a fling with Bambi Blight. Tabloids are weird.)

It was understandable that people not notice the couple's attraction; there were no _obvious_ clues. They didn't show much physical affection—at least, not while anyone else was around. They didn't fight or flirt much, they didn't kiss, they hardly ever even held hands. Mostly they shared looks, their eyes twinkling at each other. They smiled from their respective seats on the Geocruiser. They had quiet conversations, even though often they didn't even need to speak to understand each other perfectly.

Despite how close Ma-Ti and Gi were, despite having known each other for years at this point, it actually took them a while for the two of them to get together. Ma-Ti was reluctant to approach her, Gi seemed to be waiting for him, and eventually Wheeler got sick of it and not-so-subtly roped them into coming with him and Linka to some kind of party with the plan to push them into the closet together if he got half a chance. Not that either of them were exactly "party people"—they spent most of their time sitting quietly in a corner together, listening to the music and talking. It was only after a few hours that Ma-Ti felt bold enough to ask Gi to dance. And it was only after their dance that Gi felt bold enough to kiss him, feeling his face burning as their lips touched.

Meanwhile, Linka was throwing her drink in Wheeler's face, and after a few minutes of screaming they stormed away from one another, having suffered their fourth official break-up.

The mood on Hope Island was obviously tense the next day, with Wheeler and Linka refusing to talk to one another and Kwame awkwardly trying to force a conversation over the breakfast table. Only Ma-Ti and Gi seemed to be in good spirits, glancing and smiling at each other more than ever before. But Wheeler, it seemed, was just as oblivious to that as they were to _his_ foul mood; it was after noon when Kwame happened to mention that Ma-Ti and Gi were dating now, and when he did Wheeler jumped in his seat, spinning around to stare at the pair as if they had each just grown a second head.

"Ma-Ti finally made his move? ! When did _that_ happen?"

The new couple shared a quick look and both nearly choked on their laughter, which of course went completely beneath Wheeler's notice.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** No, really. Kwame/Bambi for the win.

It took me a long time to come up with a good angle for this prompt, and while this isn't perfect, I think it works well enough. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and all of these stories! Thanks for reading!


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